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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Right ARE Exam Order For You!

Below is a guest entry from ARE Advisor --

I find that many ARE candidates struggle with choosing an
effective ARE exam order because they worry too much about what other
candidates are doing. There is no specific order that you have to take the seven (7)
ARE exam divisions in; the choice is solely up to you and what is best for
you. Some people do not find it necessary to study too much for each exam while
there are others that need more time to prepare. I certainly recommend coming
up with a solid plan of attack for taking the ARE and try your best to stick
with it.

Before you start taking the ARE, take a brief overview of
all seven exams to see what type of content will be on each exam. Chances are, you
will be more familiar and comfortable with some divisions over another. This is
perfectly normal as many candidates are stronger in some areas over others
simply because they’ve experienced more depending on their role at work. For
example, a candidate who has just completed IDP in three (3) years out of school
probably is not as familiar with AIA contracts and other issues on the CDS exam
but a candidate that has been working for some time may feel more comfortable
with this exam. By taking some time to identify your potential strengths and
weaknesses, you make the process of choosing the proper ARE exam order much
smoother.

After briefly researching the subject matter on the seven exam
divisions, I find it important for candidates to rank the exams from hardest to the easiest. This is not the order you should take
the exams in, but it will help in planning. Once you have ranked the
exams, consider some of these questions:

Do you
feel comfortable taking a harder exam towards the beginning or would you like
to ease your way into the exams?

What’s
your time frame for completing these exams? Is it less than a year? More?

I find that these two questions can answer a lot when it comes
to picking your exam order because they reflect your personal preferences. Some
people will prefer to ease into the exams while others would rather get the
hard exams out of the way and will take them first. Personally, I spread out
the harder exams by staggering them in the middle with a few “easier” ones in
between. The other question brings up issues of the time frame for completing
your exams. Some candidates feel more pressure to finish these exams as soon as
possible and may schedule exams once a month. There are others that would like
to spread out the exams so they can take their time preparing for each exam.
Again, this is up to you and should reflect your comfort with the material as
well as the time frame that you have to take the exams.

The last issue to bring up in terms of the ARE
exam order is grouping similar tests closer together. It turns out that a lot
of the concepts covered on the ARE relate to more than one exam. This can be
stressful to some people because it means preparing for additional material
above and beyond what is covered by that specific division. Personally, I think
the overlap between exam divisions can be used as an advantage for many people
because if they can schedule their exams properly, you can be better prepared
for them. One example of this is the overlap between the CDS (Construction
Documents and Services) exam and the PPP (Programming, Planning, and Practice)
exam because both of these tests cover issues such as project management,
contractual relationships, and business management. Taking these exams back to
back would certainly be an advantage to most candidates simply because of the
fact that you won’t have to study this material twice and most of it will still
be familiar to you as you prepare for the second exam.

I hope this is helpful for those of you planning on taking
the ARE. Like I mentioned above, picking the right ARE exam order should mainly
be based on personal preference. By planning out things ahead of time, you can
save yourself time and stress later on down the line. Of course, you can make
changes as you need once you start taking the exams, but sticking to a general
outline can help guide and motivate you throughout the process.

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About Me

With over twenty years of experience in the fields of architecture and career development, LEE W. WALDREP, Ph.D., has served in positions in three accredited programs -- the Illinois School of Architecture, the University of Maryland and Illinois Institute of Technology. Previously, he served as Associate Executive Director of the National Archi¬tectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and National Vice-President of the American Institute of Architecture Students. Waldrep has written and presented on the topics of careers and architecture extensively around the country. In addition to his own books, he is a contributor to AIA’s Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice, 15th Edition.